Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker is officially live, bringing with it tons of story content, class changes, and system updates. As proof of its resounding success, Final Fantasy 14’s current active daily population has nearly doubled, making the critically-acclaimed MMORPG one of the most active on the market right now.
Before Endwalker entered Early Access on December 3, Final Fantasy 14 had about 2 million active players on any given day, with a gradual increase that eventually saw it steal the lead from its competitors. After its launch, the game’s active population skyrocketed, with 3.35 million active players–more than double that of its runner ups, Runescape and World of Warcraft.
Until recently, Final Fantasy 14’s success had it neck and neck with MMO titan World of Warcraft. With nearly 20 years on the market, WoW has had a long time to grow a massive playerbase and rapport. In 2018, World of Warcraft’s average active daily population was at its height–right around FF14’s count right now–but it has seen that number steadily decrease over the last few years.
There are several reasons this paradigm shift is occurring. On one hand, Final Fantasy 14’s fantastic community, developer support, and incredible storytelling and gameplay systems have contributed to its meteoric rise. On the other, World of Warcraft’s storytelling and design decisions have been less popular, and recent allegations of sexual assault and discrimination surrounding Activision Blizzard’s higher-ups have soured its reputation with much of its player base, causing many to seek out other games to play.
Final Fantasy 14’s community is overjoyed to see it flourish. While FF14’s developers are famously humble, and would never brag about its success, its player base has no such reservations about celebrating it in their stead. The massive influx of new players means more people to play with, and more people to experience the twists and turns of the gripping narrative of Final Fantasy 14.
However, some players have concerns about Final Fantasy 14’s continued growth. The larger a community gets, the more chances it has for toxicity to flourish within it. Part of the reason for Final Fantasy 14’s humility is to lead by example–if Final Fantasy 14 players harass and tease refugees from World of Warcraft or players new to MMOs, they unwittingly create a hostile environment that can breed negativity across the board. Final Fantasy 14’s positive community is one of its greatest strengths and features. The last thing it wants to see is its community tarnish that reputation and scare away potential players.
Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.
Source: MMO Populations